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Atomic Anesthesia — Education
Atomic Anesthesia

Welcome to Atomic Anesthesia, the essential podcast for nurse anesthesia residents seeking to master both basic and clinical science education (and RNs looking to become CRNAs, too!). Join us as we break down tough science concepts and demonstrating their practical clinical application in real-world scenarios.

Each episode of Atomic Anesthesia is crafted to provide comprehensive explanations of complex scientific principles, tailored specifically for the needs of nurse anesthesia residents or nurses preparing for graduate school. Whether you’re grappling with pharmacology, physiology, or any other challenging subject, our expert hosts are here to guide you through every step of the learning process.

But we don’t stop there. Atomic Anesthesia goes beyond the classroom, inviting esteemed guests from both the scientific and CRNA communities to share their insights and experiences. From discussions on graduate school training to invaluable tips for navigating the complexities of clinical practice, our diverse range of topics ensures that every episode is packed with valuable knowledge and practical advice.

Whether you’re commuting to clinicals, hitting the gym, or simply relaxing at home, Atomic Anesthesia is the perfect companion for learning on the go. Tune in and empower yourself with the knowledge and skills you need to excel in your journey towards becoming a proficient and confident nurse anesthethesiologist.

Latest Episodes:

PULMONARY HYPERTENSION AND THE RIGHT VENTRICLE SPIRAL │ EP128 Nov 02, 2026

Show notes

🚀 Try the Atomic Anesthesia platform free for 3 days: Start your free trial

Welcome to the Atomic Anesthesia podcast hosted by CRNA professor Dr. Rhea Temmermand and Co-Founder Sachi Lord. On this show, you'll hear clear, clinically grounded discussions designed for nurse anesthesia residents and CRNAs who want to feel more confident in complex pharmacology, physiology, and real-world anesthesia decision-making.

Pulmonary hypertension can feel like a pile of numbers, groups and drug names, but board questions keep coming back to one idea: protect the right ventricle. In week 5 of our 12-week SEE/NCE series, we start with a patient on daily sildenafil whose blood pressure falls after propofol, and we show you how to recognize the RV failure spiral and what to do first.

In this episode:

The current definition of pulmonary hypertension and how wedge pressure and PVR separate precapillary from postcapillary disease
The five WHO groups, plus a memory trick to place any patient
The RV failure spiral and why systemic hypotension is so dangerous
What raises PVR (hypoxemia, hypercarbia, acidosis, hypothermia, pain) and what lowers it, including why nitrous oxide is the gas to avoid
Managing acute right ventricular failure on induction with vasopressors, inotropes and inhaled nitric oxide
Why nitroglycerin is dangerous in a patient taking sildenafil

Want more content like this? Become a member of our learning platform

💜 FREE DOWNLOADS: Grab your copy of customized study plans & worksheets.

SEE/NCE Study Plan — a structured, week-by-week plan to pass your boards

💜 CONNECT: 📥 Email questions, comments or topic suggestions to Rhea or Sachi at hello@atomicanesthesia.com, follow us on social media, and sign up for our newsletter.

Mentioned in this episode:

💜 PARTNERS: The Incomologists®

https://theincomologists.com/ You work hard caring for others—let us take care of you. Whether you’re a W-2 employee or transitioning to a 1099 role, we understand the unique challenges healthcare professionals face, from insurance coverage to financial planning. That’s where we step in. Like you, we are a team of healthcare providers who understand your needs and help you find tailored insurance plans and financial strategies without the hassle or pressure. And we’re a partner you can rely on, today and in the future. We evaluate all available options and resources in the market to protect our clients, so contact us, and we’ll get started! - Jake Bevilacqua, CRNA (jake@theincomologists.com)

THE CAPNOGRAPHY CLUE YOUR PULSE OX WILL MISS (PREMIUM) │ EP127 Oct 30, 2026

Show notes

🚀 Try the Atomic Anesthesia platform free for 3 days: Start your free trial

Welcome to the Atomic Anesthesia podcast hosted by CRNA professor Dr. Rhea Temmermand and Co-Founder Sachi Lord. On this show, you'll hear clear, clinically grounded discussions designed for nurse anesthesia residents and CRNAs who want to feel more confident in complex pharmacology, physiology, and real-world anesthesia decision-making.

Every capnogram reports on three things at once: metabolism, circulation and ventilation. Change any one of them and the waveform changes. In this members-only Week 4 episode of our 12-week SEE/NCE series, we learn to read the normal waveform, then name the abnormal ones, with a worksheet to practice on.

In this episode:

Capnometry vs capnography, and sidestream vs mainstream monitors
The normal capnogram: phases I to III and the alpha and beta angles
ETCO2 vs PaCO2, and hypoventilation vs hyperventilation
Bronchospasm and obstruction
When the baseline won't return to zero: rebreathing, an exhausted absorber, incompetent valves
When CO2 disappears: esophageal intubation, disconnection and sudden cardiovascular collapse
The curare cleft, and a method for reading any capnogram

Want more content like this? Become a member of our learning platform.

💜 FREE DOWNLOADS: Grab your copy of customized study plans & worksheets.

SEE/NCE Study Plan — a structured, week-by-week plan to pass your boards

💜 CONNECT: 📥 Email questions, comments or topic suggestions to Rhea or Sachi at hello@atomicanesthesia.com, follow us on social media, and sign up for our newsletter.

CAN YOU TRUST THAT PULSE OXIMETRY READING? │ EP126 Oct 28, 2026

Show notes

🚀 Try the Atomic Anesthesia platform free for 3 days: Start your free trial

Welcome to the Atomic Anesthesia podcast hosted by CRNA professor Dr. Rhea Temmermand and Co-Founder Sachi Lord. On this show, you'll hear clear, clinically grounded discussions designed for nurse anesthesia residents and CRNAs who want to feel more confident in complex pharmacology, physiology, and real-world anesthesia decision-making.

Your patient's SpO2 reads 100 percent, but they were just pulled out of a house fire. Can you trust it? In Week 4 of our 12-week SEE/NCE series, we break down the assumptions behind that number so you can predict every misleading reading the boards throw at you.

In this episode:

What SpO2 measures, and why a perfect number doesn't rule out anemia or low cardiac output
The Beer-Lambert law, red vs infrared light at 660 and 940 nm, and how the AC/DC ratio finds the pulse
Functional vs fractional saturation and the oxyhemoglobin curve landmarks
Why SpO2 can hide a big drop in PaO2 and can't monitor ventilation
Carboxyhemoglobin, methemoglobin and the dyes that fool the probe
Low perfusion, venous pulsation, probe site and response time

Want more content like this? Become a member of our learning platform.

💜 FREE DOWNLOADS: Grab your copy of customized study plans & worksheets.

SEE/NCE Study Plan — a structured, week-by-week plan to pass your boards

💜 CONNECT: 📥 Email questions, comments or topic suggestions to Rhea or Sachi at hello@atomicanesthesia.com, follow us on social media, and sign up for our newsletter.

Mentioned in this episode:

💜 PARTNERS: The Incomologists®

https://theincomologists.com/ You work hard caring for others—let us take care of you. Whether you’re a W-2 employee or transitioning to a 1099 role, we understand the unique challenges healthcare professionals face, from insurance coverage to financial planning. That’s where we step in. Like you, we are a team of healthcare providers who understand your needs and help you find tailored insurance plans and financial strategies without the hassle or pressure. And we’re a partner you can rely on, today and in the future. We evaluate all available options and resources in the market to protect our clients, so contact us, and we’ll get started! - Jake Bevilacqua, CRNA (jake@theincomologists.com)

GAS LAWS WITH MEMORY TRICKS THAT STICK │ EP125 Oct 26, 2026

Show notes

🚀 Try the Atomic Anesthesia platform free for 3 days: Start your free trial

Welcome to the Atomic Anesthesia podcast hosted by CRNA professor Dr. Rhea Temmermand and Co-Founder Sachi Lord. On this show, you'll hear clear, clinically grounded discussions designed for nurse anesthesia residents and CRNAs who want to feel more confident in complex pharmacology, physiology, and real-world anesthesia decision-making.

How many minutes of oxygen are left in that tank? Why does the nitrous gauge read full when the tank is almost empty? In Week 4 of our 12-week SEE/NCE series, we take every gas law straight to a patient and then give you a memory trick so it actually sticks.

In this episode:

Boyle's, Charles's and Gay-Lussac's laws, from a pneumothorax at altitude to a cylinder near a fire
Why the ideal gas law lets an oxygen gauge tell you what's left, plus quick E-cylinder math
Critical temperature, and why the nitrous gauge reads full until the tank is nearly empty
Dalton's and Henry's laws: partial pressure, desflurane at altitude and dissolved oxygen
Diffusion with Graham's and Fick's laws, and why nitrous expands a pneumothorax or an obstructed bowel
Laminar vs turbulent flow, Poiseuille's law, heliox and the Venturi mask

Want more content like this? Become a member of our learning platform.

💜 FREE DOWNLOADS: Grab your copy of customized study plans & worksheets.

SEE/NCE Study Plan — a structured, week-by-week plan to pass your boards

💜 CONNECT: 📥 Email questions, comments or topic suggestions to Rhea or Sachi at hello@atomicanesthesia.com, follow us on social media, and sign up for our newsletter.

Mentioned in this episode:

💜 PARTNERS: The Incomologists®

https://theincomologists.com/ You work hard caring for others—let us take care of you. Whether you’re a W-2 employee or transitioning to a 1099 role, we understand the unique challenges healthcare professionals face, from insurance coverage to financial planning. That’s where we step in. Like you, we are a team of healthcare providers who understand your needs and help you find tailored insurance plans and financial strategies without the hassle or pressure. And we’re a partner you can rely on, today and in the future. We evaluate all available options and resources in the market to protect our clients, so contact us, and we’ll get started! - Jake Bevilacqua, CRNA (jake@theincomologists.com)

MECHANICAL CIRCULATORY SUPPORT: IABP VS VAD VS ECMO (PREMIUM)│ EP124 Oct 23, 2026

Show notes

Want more content like this? Become a member of our learning platform.

Welcome to the Atomic Anesthesia podcast hosted by CRNA professor Dr. Rhea Temmermand and Co-Founder Sachi Lord. On this show, you'll hear clear, clinically grounded discussions designed for nurse anesthesia residents and CRNAs who want to feel more confident in complex pharmacology, physiology, and real-world anesthesia decision-making.

Your patient can't come off bypass, the pressors are climbing, and the surgeon wants a balloon. In this members-only episode of our SEE/NCE series, we break down the intra-aortic balloon pump, ventricular assist devices and ECMO with three questions you can use for every device: what does it support, how much, and for how long?

In this episode:

Why mechanical support is used, and where it fits when a patient can't come off bypass
IABP placement, counterpulsation, and the four timing errors (and which two are dangerous)
IABP contraindications and complications
LVAD physiology: preload dependence, afterload sensitivity, suction events and the right ventricle
Why your LVAD patient may have no palpable pulse, and how to assess perfusion
VA vs VV ECMO, LV distention, differential hypoxia, the Impella and the anesthesia plan for LVAD patients

💜 FREE DOWNLOADS: Grab your copy of customized study plans & worksheets.

SEE/NCE Study Plan: a structured, week-by-week plan to pass your boards

💜 CONNECT: 📥 Email questions, comments or topic suggestions to Rhea or Sachi at hello@atomicanesthesia.com, follow us on social media, and sign up for our newsletter.

PACEMAKERS AND AICDS, TO MAGNET OR NOT TO MAGNET │ EP123 Oct 21, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to the Atomic Anesthesia podcast hosted by CRNA professor Dr. Rhea Temmermand and Co-Founder Sachi Lord. On this show, you'll hear clear, clinically grounded discussions designed for nurse anesthesia residents and CRNAs who want to feel more confident in complex pharmacology, physiology, and real-world anesthesia decision-making.

Want more content like this? Become a member of our learning platform.

Letter codes, electrocautery, and a magnet that does something different depending on the device. Pacemakers and ICDs show up in almost every OR, and on boards. In Week 3 of our 12-week SEE/NCE series, we boil it down to two questions: what is this device doing for the patient, and what will electrical noise do to it?

In this episode:

Pacemaker vs ICD, plus resynchronization, leadless and subcutaneous devices
The pacemaker code letter by letter, and the modes you'll actually see (AAI, VVI, DDD, DOO)
Why pacemaker dependence is the most important question you can ask
What electrocautery does to pacemakers and ICDs, and monopolar vs bipolar cautery
What a magnet does to a pacemaker vs an ICD, with board-style scenarios
Preoperative device evaluation and the intraoperative and postoperative plan

💜 FREE DOWNLOADS: Grab your copy of customized study plans & worksheets.

SEE/NCE Study Plan — a structured, week-by-week plan to pass your boards
Non-Opioid Pharmacology Cheat Sheet — every non-opioid analgesic you need to know, one page
GPCR Cheat Sheet — G-protein coupled receptors decoded for anesthesia

💜 CONNECT: 📥 Email questions, comments or topic suggestions to Rhea or Sachi at hello@atomicanesthesia.com, follow us on social media, and sign up for our newsletter.

Mentioned in this episode:

💜 PARTNERS: The Incomologists®

https://theincomologists.com/ You work hard caring for others—let us take care of you. Whether you’re a W-2 employee or transitioning to a 1099 role, we understand the unique challenges healthcare professionals face, from insurance coverage to financial planning. That’s where we step in. Like you, we are a team of healthcare providers who understand your needs and help you find tailored insurance plans and financial strategies without the hassle or pressure. And we’re a partner you can rely on, today and in the future. We evaluate all available options and resources in the market to protect our clients, so contact us, and we’ll get started! - Jake Bevilacqua, CRNA (jake@theincomologists.com)

CABG ANESTHESIA FROM PUMP TO PROTAMINE │ EP122 Oct 19, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to the Atomic Anesthesia podcast hosted by CRNA professor Dr. Rhea Temmermand and Co-Founder Sachi Lord. On this show, you'll hear clear, clinically grounded discussions designed for nurse anesthesia residents and CRNAs who want to feel more confident in complex pharmacology, physiology, and real-world anesthesia decision-making.

Want more content like this? Become a member of our learning platform.

The pump, the cannulas, the cardioplegia, the drips. CABG can feel like too many moving parts to keep straight for boards. In Week 3 of our 12-week SEE/NCE series, we tie every step of the case back to one idea, myocardial oxygen supply versus demand, so the decisions finally make sense.

In this episode:

Coronary perfusion pressure, the coronary territories and why tachycardia is the enemy
Preoperative medications, monitoring and the hemodynamic goals for induction
Cardiopulmonary bypass basics, heparin dosing, ACT targets and protamine, plus why you never draw up protamine ahead of time
Cardioplegia: how it stops the heart, and antegrade vs retrograde delivery
Separating from bypass, vasoplegia and post-bypass ventricular dysfunction
The major complications, from bleeding and tamponade to stroke and AKI

💜 FREE DOWNLOADS: Grab your copy of customized study plans & worksheets.

SEE/NCE Study Plan — a structured, week-by-week plan to pass your boards
Non-Opioid Pharmacology Cheat Sheet — every non-opioid analgesic you need to know, one page
GPCR Cheat Sheet — G-protein coupled receptors decoded for anesthesia

💜 CONNECT: 📥 Email questions, comments or topic suggestions to Rhea or Sachi at hello@atomicanesthesia.com, follow us on social media, and sign up for our newsletter.

Mentioned in this episode:

💜 PARTNERS: The Incomologists®

https://theincomologists.com/ You work hard caring for others—let us take care of you. Whether you’re a W-2 employee or transitioning to a 1099 role, we understand the unique challenges healthcare professionals face, from insurance coverage to financial planning. That’s where we step in. Like you, we are a team of healthcare providers who understand your needs and help you find tailored insurance plans and financial strategies without the hassle or pressure. And we’re a partner you can rely on, today and in the future. We evaluate all available options and resources in the market to protect our clients, so contact us, and we’ll get started! - Jake Bevilacqua, CRNA (jake@theincomologists.com)

EKG AND DYSRHYTHMIAS WITHOUT SKIPPING A BEAT (PREMIUM) │ EP121 Oct 16, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to the Atomic Anesthesia podcast hosted by CRNA professor Dr. Rhea Temmermand and Co-Founder Sachi Lord. On this show, you'll hear clear, clinically grounded discussions designed for nurse anesthesia residents and CRNAs who want to feel more confident in complex pharmacology, physiology, and real-world anesthesia decision-making.

Want more content like this? Become a member of our learning platform.

A lot of EKG questions are really measurement questions in disguise, and a scary strip on the monitor is sometimes just a loose lead. In this members-only Week 2 episode of our 12-week SEE/NCE series, we walk through 18 rhythm strips on the study sheet with one system you can use every time, so you can name the rhythm and know when it actually needs treatment in the OR.

In this episode:

Reading the grid, two quick heart rate methods, and a seven-step system for every strip
Sinus rhythms and their most common intraoperative causes
Atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, SVT and the Wolff-Parkinson-White trap
PVCs, ventricular tachycardia, torsades de pointes and VF, plus synchronized cardioversion vs defibrillation
All four AV blocks, with a memory trick for each
Electrolyte and ischemia changes, and three questions to ask before you treat any new rhythm

💜 FREE DOWNLOADS: Grab your copy of customized study plans & worksheets.

SEE/NCE Study Plan — a structured, week-by-week plan to pass your boards
Non-Opioid Pharmacology Cheat Sheet — every non-opioid analgesic you need to know, one page
GPCR Cheat Sheet — G-protein coupled receptors decoded for anesthesia

💜 CONNECT: 📥 Email questions, comments or topic suggestions to Rhea or Sachi at hello@atomicanesthesia.com, follow us on social media, and sign up for our newsletter.

ANTICOAGULANTS AND REVERSAL IN ONE CLEAN CASCADE │ EP120 Oct 14, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to the Atomic Anesthesia podcast hosted by CRNA professor Dr. Rhea Temmermand and Co-Founder Sachi Lord. On this show, you'll hear clear, clinically grounded discussions designed for nurse anesthesia residents and CRNAs who want to feel more confident in complex pharmacology, physiology, and real-world anesthesia decision-making.

Want more content like this? Become a member of our learning platform.

Strange suffixes, different labs, different hold times and a different antidote for every drug. Anticoagulants are where a lot of board points get lost. In Week 2 of our 12-week SEE/NCE series, we organize every anticoagulant around one question: where in the coagulation cascade does it hit? Answer that, and you can predict the lab, the risks and the reversal.

In this episode:

A simple map of the coagulation cascade and which lab tests which pathway (PT/INR, aPTT, ACT)
Unfractionated heparin, heparin resistance, ACT targets for bypass, and protamine dosing and reactions
Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia: why it's a clotting problem, not a bleeding problem
Low-molecular-weight heparin, fondaparinux and the neuraxial hold times you need to know
Warfarin, the "1972" factors, and when to reach for vitamin K, four-factor PCC or FFP
The DOACs and their antidotes (idarucizumab and andexanet alfa), antiplatelet agents, and balancing bleeding against thrombosis

💜 FREE DOWNLOADS: Grab your copy of customized study plans & worksheets.

SEE/NCE Study Plan — a structured, week-by-week plan to pass your boards
Non-Opioid Pharmacology Cheat Sheet — every non-opioid analgesic you need to know, one page
GPCR Cheat Sheet — G-protein coupled receptors decoded for anesthesia

💜 CONNECT: 📥 Email questions, comments or topic suggestions to Rhea or Sachi at hello@atomicanesthesia.com, follow us on social media, and sign up for our newsletter.

Mentioned in this episode:

💜 PARTNERS: The Incomologists®

https://theincomologists.com/ You work hard caring for others—let us take care of you. Whether you’re a W-2 employee or transitioning to a 1099 role, we understand the unique challenges healthcare professionals face, from insurance coverage to financial planning. That’s where we step in. Like you, we are a team of healthcare providers who understand your needs and help you find tailored insurance plans and financial strategies without the hassle or pressure. And we’re a partner you can rely on, today and in the future. We evaluate all available options and resources in the market to protect our clients, so contact us, and we’ll get started! - Jake Bevilacqua, CRNA (jake@theincomologists.com)

VALVULAR HEART DISEASE WITHOUT THE HEARTACHE │ EP119 Oct 12, 2026

Show notes

Welcome to the Atomic Anesthesia podcast hosted by CRNA professor Dr. Rhea Temmermand and Co-Founder Sachi Lord. On this show, you'll hear clear, clinically grounded discussions designed for nurse anesthesia residents and CRNAs who want to feel more confident in complex pharmacology, physiology, and real-world anesthesia decision-making.

Want more content like this? Become a member of our learning platform.

Valvular heart disease feels like a memorization topic, but the table of arrows in every review book isn't random. In Week 2 of our 12-week SEE/NCE series, we show you how two questions (pressure or volume problem, systole or diastole) let you rebuild the hemodynamic goals for every valve lesion in the middle of your exam.

In this episode:

The shortcut: stenosis is full, slow and tight; regurgitation is full, fast and forward
Aortic stenosis: severe AS numbers, the atrial kick, why phenylephrine is the go-to and why CPR rarely works
Aortic regurgitation: acute vs chronic, why neuraxial is well tolerated, and the balloon pump contraindication
Mitral stenosis: protecting the right heart, avoiding PVR triggers, and why wedge pressure overestimates LVEDP
Mitral regurgitation: the large v wave and why phenylephrine can worsen the leak
A rapid-fire board review of every lesion, plus how to handle mixed valve disease

💜 FREE DOWNLOADS: Grab your copy of customized study plans & worksheets.

SEE/NCE Study Plan — a structured, week-by-week plan to pass your boards
Non-Opioid Pharmacology Cheat Sheet — every non-opioid analgesic you need to know, one page
GPCR Cheat Sheet — G-protein coupled receptors decoded for anesthesia

💜 CONNECT: 📥 Email questions, comments or topic suggestions to Rhea or Sachi at hello@atomicanesthesia.com, follow us on social media, and sign up for our newsletter.

Mentioned in this episode:

💜 PARTNERS: The Incomologists®

https://theincomologists.com/ You work hard caring for others—let us take care of you. Whether you’re a W-2 employee or transitioning to a 1099 role, we understand the unique challenges healthcare professionals face, from insurance coverage to financial planning. That’s where we step in. Like you, we are a team of healthcare providers who understand your needs and help you find tailored insurance plans and financial strategies without the hassle or pressure. And we’re a partner you can rely on, today and in the future. We evaluate all available options and resources in the market to protect our clients, so contact us, and we’ll get started! - Jake Bevilacqua, CRNA (jake@theincomologists.com)

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